It is well-known that the liver is an important organ which controls the metabolism of the body. It is said that as many as 40,000 people die of hepatic diseases in Japan in a year. Hepatic diseases such as hepatonecrosis, fatty liver, disorders of bile secretion, and cirrhosis are caused by the fact that the liver is acutely or chronically diseased by various factors such as alcohol, lack of nutrients, infection by viruses, chemical toxins and the like. At present, no drug which exhibits a prominent pharmacological effect for the treatment and prophylaxis of these hepatic diseases when orally administered has been discovered.